The last team to book a spot in the Garena Premier League (GPL) are Kuala Lumpur Hunters (KLH). After two back-to-back victories, Eternity Esports found KLH’s number and took two back in kind. Eventually KLH managed to pull through in game 5 to earn their ticket to Thailand where GPL will be held this year.

We caught up with Poon “Veki” Kok Sing for an exclusive interview before their The Legends Circuit (TLC) Malaysia summer finals match.

Congratulations on making it to the Finals. Having 3-0 Eternity esports before, everyone is expecting a similar performance today. How is state of KLH’s condition?

Veki: We are pretty confident going into this final and we are trying to make as little mistakes and be clean as possible. Hopefully we will be able to put up a good show for the audience today. I would say our team condition is 9/10 as there are still some issues we need to fix.

All other GPL teams have been locked in. Which team do you believe is the strongest and why?

For me, I respect all the teams as they are the best from their region. But it is a fact that Vietnam and Thailand teams are super strong in the GPL, so I think they are our toughest opponents.

The KLH team(Photo credit: http://gamehubs.com/media/2017/06/klh.jpg)

If you advance into GPL, how’s your confidence level like against them?

We have very high “highs” but also very low “lows”, so it really depends on our condition during the tournament. However, I feel that the Vietnam and Thailand teams are still super hard to beat.

Earlier this year you joined Hong Kong Esports as a support in the League of Legends Masters Series (LMS). Tell us about your experience in Taiwan.

LMS teams are so good compared to Wildcard teams. They are in another level altogether in terms of both individual players and macro play. All the players are high-ranking in the Korean server and very well-practised. I learned a lot in my 3 months in Taiwan and I would have learned even more if I had stayed, but I will try to do what I can here.

What do you think Malaysia can do to catch up to the LMS?

I think we need more professional teams than just one so that there is some competition. I also think that we need to have better infrastructure. In the LMS, there are more coaches and analysts and also people who take care of your health and necessities. So that’s how I think Malaysia can try to catch up to the LMS.

When you were asked to go to the LMS to play, how did you and your family react?

For me, I was super excited to finally reach a level where I was recognized. I was super happy that my debut in the LMS was great as well. As for my parents, they were like “Wow, you actually made it so far in your gaming career” and were very supportive. They are actually here today as well to support me as well.

There are a lot of people out there inspired by you and want to be like Veki. What advice would you give to these players?

I’m happy and proud that people look up to me. But I never really thought about being a pro player myself when I was young. I will say that in order to be a pro-gamer you need to have a lot of talent. When you are playing casually and are making High Masters or Challenger, then you can consider putting a little more effort and going pro. If you are stuck in the lower ranks, I think this is not a job for you because the reality is that professional gaming is very harsh.

So how do you cope with the pressures of this harsh industry?

When I was young, I never had any ambition. But after TPA won Worlds, I decided “I might make it one day”. Now, every day I wake up working in my dream, so that helps a lot. But sometimes the pressure is definitely there, especially when I was in Taiwan where there were no close friends or family around. I was so stressed. I will say, put in all of your effort as this career has a very short lifespan so you don’t want to regret not trying hard enough.

Quickfire-Questions:

Twitch or Tristana? Tristana

Infinity Edge or Statikk Shiv? Infinity Edge

Quicksilver Sash or Guardian Angel? Quicksilver Sash

Qaspiel or Bipolar? Qaspiel

Flash Wolves or AHQ? Flash Wolves

Westdoor or Chawy? Chawy

TSM or Immortals? TSM

SKT or KT? KT

Favourite skin? Star Guardian Ahri

Best ADC in the world? Deft

Chances of beating Gigabyte Marines? 5 (did not elaborate if this was percentage or score rating)

(Screen shot: http://gpl.garena.com/)

Would you like to say a word to your fans in Malaysia and LMS?

I’m sincerely grateful that so many people are following me from Malaysia and LMS. I would not be able to make it so far without you guys. You are my motivation and I will always remember that there are fans looking up to me anticipating good plays. Once again, really, really grateful.

I want to shout-out to KLH, the players and the company for treating me well, welcoming me back to Malaysia. They kind of treat me like a princess (laugh), so it has been really comfortable to be around them. Also, I would like to thank Logitech for providing all the gear I have. They personally came down to meet me to pass me my jacket and my gear. I’m also very thankful for Digi for sponsoring the trip to Korea. I got to experience how the esports scene LCK was like and I improved so much during my time there so I’m indeed very grateful.

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About The Author

WevHez is a die-hard Flash Wolves fan and probably wants out of the Rollercoaster ride that ensues. He also happens to be an esports enthusiast, Livestream Production Assistant, Gamer and Streamer. Follow him on Twitter at @wevhez